NIRSA facility feature: San Diego State University Aztec Recreation Center

San Diego State University is home to more than 35,000 active, highly engaged students who recently were instrumental in spearheading a referendum and assisting with the design process for the expansion and renovation of the university’s Aztec Recreation Center. These efforts were led by Associated Students, a student-directed auxiliary organization which works to enhance the college experience for the students of San Diego State.

The result was a greatly upgraded and expanded facility, designed by SmithGroup, which opened fully in August 2022. Early in 2023, the Aztec Recreation Center was the recipient of a NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award, sponsored by Mondo.

About the Aztec Recreation Center

Originally constructed in 1997, by 2017 the Aztec Recreation Center was no longer able to meet the needs of a growing and highly engaged campus community. While renovation and expansion were necessary, it was also critical that the services offered by the recreation center continued to be available during construction. This was accomplished by staging the project in sections. Half of the existing facility was demolished and what remained served as a temporary recreation center during the expansion and renovation. Recreation functions then moved into the newly operational area while what remained was renovated. Throughout the process, the architects were intentional about ensuring that the new construction was seamlessly blended with the existing structure for an end result where old and new segments could not be distinguished from one another.

Students were heavily involved throughout the Aztec Recreation Center’s design process, touring other facilities to get ideas and providing input on topics like color scheme and the need for privacy areas and gender-inclusive restrooms.

The Aztec Recreation Center is designed to meet all student wellness needs in a single facility. There are numerous fitness areas that allow students to explore various types of physical activities including cardio, group fitness classes, Olympic lifting, drop-in sports like pickleball and volleyball, and indoor climbing. Additionally, the recreation center houses a Quiet Lounge for study and meditation, a vendor offering healthy and sustainable food items, multi-purpose meeting spaces, and gathering areas.

“The expanded recreation center has made an immediate, positive impact on campus,” says Mark Zakrzewski, Associate Executive Director, Associated Students at SDSU. “Student participation has increased 75% since opening. The modern facility truly provides something for everyone and has become a wonderful destination for students to de-stress, find community, and lead active, healthy lives.”

Impact on campus community

Membership to the Aztec Recreation Center is included with student enrollment. Memberships may also be purchased by continuing students, faculty, staff, alumni, and sponsored community members. Prior to its renovation, the Aztec Recreation Center saw approximately 3,200 visitors per day. That number skyrocketed to over 6,000 visitors per day after the renovation and expansion. The number of participating students also increased from 13,000 to over 23,000 (over 65% of the student body).

The recreation center’s increased capacity also increased the university’s ability to meet the needs of student organizations seeking meeting space and facilitated the expansion of intramural leagues and club sports.

Sustainability

One of the criteria considered by the Outstanding Facilities Award Committee is how well the facility incorporates sustainable features. Sustainability was considered throughout the design of the Aztec Recreation Center, which achieved LEED Platinum status, the highest possible rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Some of the building’s features which were specifically designed with sustainability in mind include:

• The sole use of electricity (including electricity harvested from rooftop solar panels) to power the building, with no fossil fuels (i.e., natural gas) being utilized
• Low-flow toilets and drip irrigation which utilize wastewater recovered from showers and HVAC condensation and harvested rainwater
• A geothermal heat pump system and mixed-mode ventilation, which reduce energy use

Additionally, 80% of the construction waste from this project was diverted from landfills and recycled for other uses.

About the Architect

SmithGroup was responsible for designing the renovation and expansion of the Aztec Recreation Center. Founded in 1853, SmithGroup now has 20 offices across the United States and more than 1,300 employees. Their portfolio includes a wide range of projects in fields such as higher education, science and technology, residential housing, open space, hospitality/resorts, and government buildings.

Sustainability is one of the firm’s values; climate action is a primary consideration in their work. In 2000, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center, designed by SmithGroup, was awarded the first LEED Platinum certification in the world. SmithGroup’s designs have also garnered awards recognizing their commitment to the environment from organizations like the American Institute of Architects.

In addition to the recognition they’ve received for green design practices, SmithGroup has been the recipient of countless other accolades for their work, including other NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Awards:

• Fitness and Recreation Center at Texas Woman’s University (2013)
• Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (2019)
• Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center at the University of Colorado Denver (2019)
• The MAC at Texas A&M University-Commerce (2019)
• Southside Rec Center at Texas A&M University (2023)

SmithGroup says, “The way in which the campus leadership at SDSU empowers their students to be real stakeholders in the design process led to not only a unique solution and manifestation of their culture in the facility but also made it a lot of fun.”

About NIRSA’s Outstanding Facilities Awards

The annual NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Awards recognize the innovative designs of new, renovated, or expanded collegiate recreational facilities of NIRSA member institutions. Facilities receiving this award are a standard by which other campus recreation facilities should be measured, and from which others can benefit.

Applications for the 2024 NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award recipients will be open September 1-November 15, 2023. Eligibility guidelines, selection criteria, and entry fee details can be found on the NIRSA website.